Stop the madness

When opening my National Grid bill the other day, I received a separate notice announcing a new state surcharge. This latest grab of money collected on your gas/electric usage goes to the state’s general fund, aka the bottomless pit.

My bill shows a new $2.92 cost titled “temporary assessment surcharge.” That is on top of an existing item called the tariff surcharge — $3.85 on my bill.

And if you believe the new surcharge is temporary (supposedly ending in 2014), then you probably also put out cookies for Santa and the Tooth Fairy.

State legislators — legalized pickpockets — drain us with all kinds of hidden taxes to pay for bloat. They need endless revenue because they refuse to stop the spending spree.

2 Responses

It’s a Catch-22… you can stay in your own home and pay National Grid the increases or you can rent an apartment and pay your landlord the yearly rent increase because HE has to pay National Grid too! Figure out detailed monthly budget of your living expenses that you currently expend to live in your own house, then compare to the cost of renting a place. Not all apartments include utilities, so you’ll still be paying the increase from National Grid. Then do a pro-con worksheet for staying in your home vs. renting… think of things like maybe you have a garage to park your car in now, but might have to park on the street or in an open lot at an apartment which might be a hassle in the winter months. You may just find that the minor increase from National Grid is worth it afterall. You might find you can’t live any cheaper than in your own home. Also, this is not a good time to be selling… it’s a buyer’s market… wait for the turn-around so you can get more money. All this worked for me and I find I pay HUNDREDS of dollars LESS every month than in a local apartment!

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